California energy regulators are considering taking control of residents' thermostats, giving them the ability to control the temperatures of homes during energy crises, the New York Times reports.

The California Energy Commission is expected to vote on the rules next month, which would give utilities the power to control home thermostats via radio control to manage electricity shortages, the paper reports.

Click here to read the full New York Times report.

Customers would be able to override utilities' suggested temperatures, but not during energy emergencies, the New York Times reports. The move, officials say, would help them avoid rotating outages statewide.

“You realize there are times — very rarely, once every few years — when you would be subject to a rotating outage and everything would crash including your computer and traffic lights, and you don’t want to do that,” Arthur H. Rosenfeld, a member of the energy commission, told the Times.